Sharia

Tennessee Jumps on the Anti-Sharia Bandwagon

Melissa Jeltsen | February 24, 2011, 4:48PM

Tenn. State Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro)

Refraining from eating pork? Giving alms to the poor? These could become criminal activities in Tennessee, where a proposed law would make adherence to Sharia -- or Islamic law -- illegal and punishable with jail time.

While a number of other states have filed legislation seeking to keep Sharia out of the courts, Tennessee is going one giant step further by attempting to outlaw it entirely.

Senate Bill 1028, introduced by State Sen. Bill Ketron, gives the state Attorney General authority to designate "Sharia organizations," defined as "two (2) or more persons conspiring to support, or acting in concert in support of, sharia or in furtherance of the imposition of sharia within any state or territory of the United States." Anyone who provides material support or resources to a designated Sharia organization could be charged with a felony and face up to 15 years in jail.

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Islamophobia

This Year In Islamophobia

Rachel Slajda | December 29, 2010, 8:46AM

Protesters In New York oppose the Park51 Islamic center.

Nine years after Sept. 11, 2001, America saw perhaps its worst outbreak of Islamophobia since the attacks. Experts wagered it came from the aimless fear and the anger people feel in times of economic crisis, exploited by certain politicians looking to give their party an advantage in the midterms and turned toward American Muslims.

Such an outbreak was possible in the days and months after Sept. 11's attacks. It never really materialized, experts say, in part because President George W. Bush stood up and told the nervous country that Islam is a religion of peace, and that American was not at war with Muslims.

He made no such appeal this year, and President Obama's pleas fell on deaf ears or, more accurately, ears that believe Obama himself is secretly, and sinisterly, Muslim.

Without further ado, then, is This Year in Islamophobia:

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

Judge Rules TN Mosque Construction Can Continue

Rachel Slajda | November 17, 2010, 5:32PM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

A chancery court judge ruled today that the construction of a mosque in middle Tennessee can continue. The judge denied a request for a restraining order.

Three local residents had accused Rutherford County of breaking open meeting laws when it approved construction of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. Their lawyers -- funded, in part, by an anti-Islam Christian Zionist group -- quickly made the suit about Islam, however. They claimed that Islam is not a religion, prompting the Justice Department to file a brief noting that the federal government has recognized Islam as a religion since the days of Thomas Jefferson.

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Proclaiming Justice to the Nations

Christian Zionist Group Is Helping Fund Lawsuit Against A Tenn. Mosque

Rachel Slajda | November 10, 2010, 9:30AM

Laurie Cardoza-Moore of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations

The lawsuit to stop the construction of a mosque in middle Tennessee is getting expensive. The preliminary hearing has dragged on, with several days of testimony stretching over more than a month. The county has added $50,000 to its litigation budget to cover expected defense costs and is warning that that number could go up.

So who's funding the plaintiffs -- three local residents who don't have access to taxpayer money?

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

TN Mosque Trial Continues: 'Your Honor, This Is A Circus'

Rachel Slajda | October 21, 2010, 9:46AM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

A hearing about a proposed mosque in middle Tennessee resumed yesterday, with a lawyer for the mosque's opponents claiming the mosque's leaders wanted to fly the "flag of Sharia" over the White House.

The mosque opponents, three local residents, sued Rutherford County, claiming officials violated open meeting law when approving the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro's site plan for an expanded mosque outside of Murfreesboro. The opponents want the court to stop construction.

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Thomas Perez

DOJ Says It's Defending Religious Liberty In Tenn Mosque Filing

Ryan J. Reilly | October 19, 2010, 4:04PM

Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Thomas Perez, the Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said Tuesday that the department's decision to file an amicus brief in support a mosque that affirmed Islam's status as a religion was an action to defend a "very, very important principal that this nation has fought for, which is the principle of religious liberty."

Asked by TPMMuckraker about the Department's intervention into the controversy over the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Perez mentioned that he had traveled to the region and met with a "wonderful coalition" of not only the Muslim community, but also leaders from a number of faith communities.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

Murfreesboro Mosque Member: DOJ Support 'Is A Blessing'

Rachel Slajda | October 19, 2010, 8:57AM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

The Justice Department's decision to file an amicus brief declaring that Islam is a religion is a "blessing," says one member of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, which is fighting for its right to build a new mosque.

"The support we got today is a blessing," said Saleh Sbenaty, a longtime member of the Islamic center and a professor at Middle Tennessee State University, yesterday.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

DOJ Files Brief In Favor Of Tenn. Mosque

Rachel Slajda | October 18, 2010, 1:31PM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

The Department of Justice today filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where opponents of a new mosque are trying to stop its construction. In the brief, the DOJ declares that Islam is a religion and is entitled to freedom of expression.

In a press release, the U.S. attorney for the middle district of Tennessee, Jerry E. Martin, acknowledged that the lawsuit is a "local matter," but that the DOJ wants to "vigorously support" the decision of local authorities to grant the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro building permits.

The center, which has been operating in Murfreesboro for decades, has outgrown its current facility and is building a larger community center and mosque just outside the city. In addition to the legal opposition, the mosque has faced vandalism and arson, and the head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division recently visited area Muslims as a gesture of support.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

DOJ Civil Rights Head Goes To TN To Reassure Muslims

Rachel Slajda | October 7, 2010, 10:49AM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

Thomas Perez, the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, went to Murfreesboro, Tenn., last week in an attempt to reassure Muslims there who have been the victims of arson and vandalism.

The Nashville Scene reports that Perez traveled around Murfreesboro on Sept. 28, speaking to leaders of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro and other Muslims.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

At TN Mosque Hearing, Plaintiffs Claim Islam Isn't A Religion

Rachel Slajda | September 30, 2010, 1:30PM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

Opponents of a proposed mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., spent the last two days arguing in court that Islam is not a religion and that the leaders of the mosque -- which has been in the town, in a different location, for decades -- preach jihad and a Sharia law takeover.

Three opponents of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro's planned expansion have sued the county, claiming officials broke open meeting law when they approved the mosque's building plan. The officials deny violating any laws. But the case quickly became, not about open meeting laws, but about Islam itself.

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Frank Gaffney

Gaffney On CNN: Mosques Want 'To Destroy Western Civilization From Within' (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | September 29, 2010, 9:44AM

Anderson Cooper interviewing Frank Gaffney on CNN.

After testifying at a hearing about a proposed mosque in Tennessee, Sharia law "expert" Frank Gaffney went on Anderson Cooper last night to explain why, exactly, the mosque could be another victory for radical American Muslims who want to destroy the United States from within.

Imams' agenda to impose Sharia law "ultimately winds up becoming a cancer inside a society," Gaffney claimed. "No-go zones are typically associated with it where the authorities dare not go. Sharia law is practiced in those no-go zones. They are expanded in due course. And ultimately, you have the groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, with whom many of these mosques and for that matter, Muslim-American organizations of any note, are associated, pursuing a mission that we know, from evidence introduced into another federal trial, is to destroy western civilization from within. That's really worrying."

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Frank Gaffney

TN Mosque Opponents Bring In National Sharia 'Expert' Frank Gaffney

Rachel Slajda | September 28, 2010, 1:56PM

Frank Gaffney, CEO and founder of the Center for Security Policy.

The opponents of a proposed mosque near Murfreesboro, Tenn., have brought in prominent Sharia law fearmonger Frank Gaffney to help them stop the project in court.

Gaffney, who has been warning about the supposed threat to the Constitution from Sharia for years, was the only witness in the first day of hearings in a lawsuit filed by a handful of opponents to the mosque. They're trying to convince a judge to file an injunction against the mosque's construction, on the grounds the public officials violated open meeting law when approving the project.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

Tenn. Mosque Opponents File Lawsuit To Block Construction

Rachel Slajda | September 20, 2010, 11:11AM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

Opponents of a proposed mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., have sued several of the town's officials in an attempt to stop construction.

The opponents, led by Kevin Fisher, filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging that county officials violated open meeting laws and, therefore, that the approval of the mosque project is void.

According to Fisher et al, the officials didn't give proper notice for the planning commission meeting where the mosque was approved, and also held a secret "pre-meeting" that was closed to the public.

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Islamophobia

Muslims Are Just The Latest American Scapegoat

Rachel Slajda | September 8, 2010, 10:40AM

An opponent of the Cordoba House, left, argues with a supporter in front of the proposed location in lower Manhattan.

You know the stories, by now: The violent attack on a cab driver, the arson in Tennessee, the sometimes unbelievable vitriol associated with a Manhattan Islamic community center. The plans by a radical pastor to burn the holy book of another religion, plans that have been condemned even by his compatriots on the fringe of American thought.

But why? And why now?

"It's been percolating," John Esposito, the director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown, told TPM. As Esposito tells it, America has had a problem with anti-Muslim prejudice since before Sept. 11, 2001. But it was contained, in a way, and even after 9/11 "things were pretty stabilized." The uptick began in 2004, and now it's rising to the surface.

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Islam

Muslim Groups Push Back Against Increasing Hate Speech

Rachel Slajda | September 6, 2010, 9:29AM

The press conference announcing My Faith My Voice.

As anti-Muslim sentiment appears to be on the rise throughout the country, with high-profile protests against mosque construction and a handful of violent episodes against Muslims, Muslim groups are pushing back.

Last Monday, a group of young Muslim professionals from the D.C. area launched My Faith My Voice, a web site that encourages fellow Muslims to upload their own PSAs explaining that although they are Muslim, they're not terrorists.

"When we see our loyalty as Americans questioned, that's something we take very seriously," the group's lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, told TPM. "The point of the campaign is one of bridge building, reassurance, an invitation to listen to who we actually are ... that Americans of other faiths will lend an ear and listen."

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

Feds Declare TN Mosque Site Fire An Arson

Rachel Slajda | September 3, 2010, 5:50PM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

Federal authorities have officially declared the fire at the site of a community center and mosque near Murfreesboro, Tenn., an arson.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said today that an accelerant was definitely used in the torching of construction equipment at the site last Saturday morning. The agency is offering a $20,000 reward leading to an arrest.

Authorities told the Tennessean that they cannot rule the arson a hate crime until they have a suspect.

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Civil Rights Division

DOJ Investigating Anti-Muslim Incidents

Rachel Slajda | September 2, 2010, 1:43PM

Ahmed Sharif

The Department of Justice is investigating two recent, high-profile anti-Muslim incidents, TPMmuckraker confirms.

A DOJ spokeswoman says the department has opened investigations into the attack on a Muslim cab driver in New York City and an apparent arson at the site of a future mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

FBI Seeks To Reassure Tenn. Muslims After Mosque Site Fire

Rachel Slajda | September 2, 2010, 10:05AM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

The FBI met with Tennessee's Muslim leaders Monday to discuss the recent arson at a mosque site in Murfreesboro and reassure the leaders that federal officials are on the case.

As the Washington Post reports, the meeting took place at the U.S. attorney's office in Nashville. The U.S. attorney is the one who will determine whether the fire rises to the level of a hate crime or civil rights violation, and the FBI is the agency which conducts hate crimes investigations.

It's a signal that the feds are looking at the arson as a hate crime, even though they've officially said there's "no indication" that the fire qualifies.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

Police Report In Tennessee Mosque Site Fire: Engine Was Running

Rachel Slajda | September 1, 2010, 11:57AM

The police report filed by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department, the local agency investigating a fire that destroyed construction equipment at the site of a mosque in Tennessee, shows that the engine was running on the dump truck that was torched.

The police report, obtained today by TPMmuckraker, is brief. But it does reveal two bits of information: One, that the engine was running on the destroyed machinery. Two, police observed someone in a car watching the fire from the road, who then drove away.

You can read the report here.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

Former Civil Rights Division Lawyer: TN Mosque Attack Looks Like A Hate Crime

Rachel Slajda | August 31, 2010, 3:34PM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

A veteran of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division says he'd be surprised if the fire at the site of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn. isn't investigated as a hate crime.

"I think it's pretty clear that there's a hate crime investigation underway," William Yeomans, who served in the division for 24 years and was briefly the acting director, told TPMmuckraker today.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

Tennessee Mosque Received Threats Before Fire

Rachel Slajda | August 31, 2010, 11:11AM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro reportedly received threats in the week before the fire on its property, according to a local TV station, including one that was recorded on voicemail.

News Channel 5 reports that someone called the Islamic center a few days before the fire and left a message saying, in part, "You need to get out of the country now."

A fire was discovered early Saturday morning at the site of the proposed Islamic center and mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn. An accelerant had been dumped over four pieces of construction equipment, and one was set on fire.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

Sheriff: Gunshots Near Mosque Site Probably Hunters

Rachel Slajda | August 31, 2010, 8:00AM

The gunshots heard near the site of a proposed mosque near Murfreesboro, Tenn., were probably the result of hunters taking advantage of the start of squirrel hunting season, a spokesman for the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office tells TPM.

Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin said that no police report was filed after someone reported hearing nine gunshots at the site the day after construction equipment was found torched at the site.

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Mosques

ATF "Leaning Toward Arson" In TN Mosque Fire

Rachel Slajda | August 30, 2010, 2:59PM

Future Site of Murfreesboro, TN Islamic Center

Local and federal authorities are investigating a fire at the construction site of an Islamic community center and mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., this weekend, as well as reports of gunshots as community members gathered at the site.

The fire, which damaged a large piece of construction equipment, was discovered early Saturday morning. The local sheriff's office, the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau and the FBI are investigating.

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